Friends recount last moments of sex worker found dead in Nakuru

The screams at Umoja Lodge within Nakuru's city center sent alarms across Lee Njiru Road on Monday afternoon after the lifeless body of a woman believed to be a sex worker was found in a lodging.

The woman fondly referred to as Zuchu by her friends was found on the bed in one of the rooms.

In an interview with Charity Wanjiru, a friend to Zuchu, she recounted the last moments she spent with Zuchu, saying they had been drinking together.

“We were hanging out yesterday evening with other friends having drinks when she was approached by a client. The man was chewing muguka, but since Zuchu didn’t chew, he bought her a drink instead. After that, we asked her to join us for a meal, but she said she would stay with the guy,” she explains.

Wanjiru adds that Zuchu later accompanied the same man to another entertainment joint , where they found Wanjiru in the company of other friends. There, Zuchu was bought another drink. At that point, everything still seemed normal.

“As time went by, the two, Zuchu and the gentleman left together, and I remained at the entertainment joint. The next thing I saw was her lifeless body in the morning,” says Wanjiru.

Wanjiru described Zuchu as a caring mother and someone who would always support her colleagues, noting that the job often comes with a hostile environment.

On the other hand, Emilly Nekesa, a representative from Smart Ladies (an organization representing sex workers in Nakuru) and a human rights defender, says they are calling for justice for Zuchu, stressing that no one deserves such a cruel death.

“We now want the lodge’s management to provide the details of the person who checked in with Zuchu. We understand that people are required to present their ID and contact information before being allowed into a room. More to it, if the payment was cashless that is a better opportunity to know who she came in with,” she states.